https://reasonstobecheerful.world/dementia-inclusive-design-singapore/
"A large mural of a teacup decorated with a green flower bursts off the white
wall on the ground floor of a tall apartment building in the Kebun Baru area of
Singapore. A bowl with a rooster adorns another building nearby. Up the street,
another tower features a candy with a white rabbit on the wrapper.
The paintings are more than street art. These 10 murals — each depicting a
distinctive Singaporean food-related item — are helping residents with dementia
find their way home.
More than 80 percent of Singapore residents over the age of 65 live in public
housing blocks like these. But, as the social service agency Dementia Singapore
heard from locals in Kebun Baru, the uniform, whitewashed design of the ground
floors made it difficult for residents with dementia to get around. Dementia —
a family of conditions that impact cognitive function, including Alzheimer’s
disease — changes how people are able to navigate even familiar areas, and can
impair their ability to read information like numbers.
“That was how we came up with the idea of very simplified icons that are very
prominent in their generation,” explains Mary-Ann Khoo, of Dementia Singapore.
The Kebun Baru murals are part of a growing movement to make communities more
physically accessible for people with dementia. More than 55 million people
worldwide are currently living with forms of dementia, and that number is
expected to climb to 139 million by 2050. Yet many people face hurdles in
getting around their communities, leading to reliance on caregivers, or even
being homebound.
Now, cities like Singapore are making physical changes to help people with
dementia stay engaged in their communities, like adding innovative signage,
public seating areas and distinctive landmarks.
“What we’re trying to do is really to make our environment or our spaces a lot
more dementia-enabling, so that people with dementia can still live a normal
life,” says Khoo."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
